I'm seriously just now blogging about Formal?

Ok friends, I feel like my relentless apologies for the time it is taking me between posts is getting annoying...I'm annoying myself with it at least. So I won't apologize (but know that I am s_r_y)

Ok Formal was the bomb. It was seriously so much fun! I'll take a bit of time to talk about all the moments, besides the actual formal event, that deserve blog time.

So on the way there, it was me, Jadams, Audrey, Cole, J-Mels, and Sarah. (could a car BE any more elite?) My favorite memory from that car trip was this game we played that consisted of 3 questions you answer that reveal different parts of you that you might not realize. It went like so: 1) What's your favorite color and why? 2) What's your favorite animal, and why? 3) What's your favorite part of nature and why? (Keep in mind that the WHY is more important than the answer)

I'll tell you how I answered and explain what it reveals about me...
1) Yellow, because it stands out to me, grabs my attention, I gravitate towards it. {this is how I feel about myself- I like to stand out- be different, grab attention in a unique way} When we found out that the color is supposed to mean how you feel about yourself, there was no getting out of it because I had already told the car WHY I liked yellow. I felt kind of cocky or something, but I think everyone's color is about wanting to stand out...the only difference is HOW you want to.
2) Dog, because they are fun, warm, loyal, soft, playful, and cuddly. This one was funny because it's supposed to reveal what you want in a boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse...so I like to cuddle? Sorry not sorry! 3) {this one is the coolest} I answered the Beach, because it means relaxation, family, time away, vacation, peace...your favorite part of nature is supposed to reveal your relationship with God to an extent. I loved this, because it's so true! When I spend time with God, it is an escape from my crazy-hectic life. It delivers me to a place of peace and stillness. When I am laying on the beach, I fall asleep to the sun. I don't need a blanket because I am covered by nature's warmth. When I spend time with God, I find rest in His word, and I am covered like a blanket with the comfort of knowing that when I stop what I'm doing to spend time with him, the Son is thrilled because He's been WAITING to stop what He's doing to spend time with me.

(Here's to a choppy transition!) Haha, anyway, we stopped in Gruene to eat dinner...I'm not sure I have ever been more hungry in my life than I was before that meal.

After eating (at the Grist Mill!) we walked to a coffee shop that Ed swore both existed and would be open...well it didn't so we did a little shopping at this country candy/souvenir shop! {I found a miniature cowboy hat...Shannon found a normal sized one}

 From Gruene, we loaded back in the car and headed to our hotel in San Antonio! That night, we checked into our rooms and did a little exploring. One of the weekend's re-occurring jokes was that for about 2 minutes when Sarah got off the elevator with John, a floor earlier than the rest of us, she literally thought that John had formed some master plan to have the 2 of them share a room. Haha he had put her name as his sister's when they were getting the plans in order because he hadn't asked anyone yet, but it all happened so fast, and Sarah figured he did it so that no one would question it because...what?! They're just bro and sis! Haha it was hilarious, but needless to say, Sarah was officially sharing a room with 3 other girls, but ended up being an honorary roommate of me, Audrey, Shannon, and Elizabeth :)
Here's a picture of the group on Friday night {we also got to visit the Alamo that night!}

We began Saturday with one of the best brunches I've ever filled my belly with, followed by some shopping at the Mexican market where I was overcome with tourism-itis as I bought a pancho, a headband, and some earrings. Worth it.

Sleepy girls before brunch

Cole feels like he does a more authentic shopping job when he wears a sombrero...I mean, it makes sense.

After our afternoon at the Mexi-market the girls and boys split ways for a bit. We made a mad-dash to Starbucks before we had to start getting ready, and the boys....well, I don't know what the boys did. We had a little extra time before we had to meet the boys after we were all ready and dolled up so we decided to go snap some GiRlZz pix on the roof!

Me and Audrey!

The work of Sarah Stimson...go figure

Me and Elizabeth :)

Formal was so much fun! It was held in the Tower of America...to give you an idea of how high up it was, my ears popped on the elevator. The food was phenomenal, and we got to watch the Aggies beat Nebraska in formal attire...That didn't stop us from leading some good ol' Aggie yells....Here's some pictures from the formal...

Date!

Still confused about this picture..but still love it

Girls in the back seat of the truck on the way to formal!

 On Sunday we loaded up the cars with our bags and our blood streams with caffeine from our Einstein's Bagel shop in the hotel! {Remember that time I went in there and tried to pay with a Starbucks gift card? Yeah...that happened. My bad, Einstein's.} Coming back to College Station meant coming back to reality- something none of us were prepared for or willing to do...but Monday was coming regardless. I had a lovely time with old friends and new friends :) I told a certain John Melson that I would give him a shout out for his riddle about a certain group of penguins deciphering between 4 fox holes (2 leading to heaven, and 2 to hell). Among the many mind games we played that weekend, it was natural that this one was the only one I could wrap my mind around enough to solve it. The answer: there is no answer. Any group of words sounds like a riddle if you put them in the right order, ask the right sort of questions, egg the person on, and raise your inquisitive eyebrow just right. This is the riddle written out on my arm, tattoo style...

Last thing before I go! Jadams ordered his date a large fleece before he knew who his date was. Haha I didn't mind it at all, as you can see I'm sporting it above (and I frequent it on campus as well) but he felt pretty bad after we sent him this picture with this caption...

"Did you order me a large because you think i'm fat? :("

*Sigh*....I had fun just reminiscing the weekend via blog post. It's bad to live in the past, but good to remember fun memories. It's funny that my favorite part of the weekend had nothing to do with being dressed up at the actual formal. No, my favorite memories are the ones we spent laughing in a hotel room into the wee hours of the night, making a midnight run to McDonald's, eating good food, making new friends, and getting to know old ones better! I'm peacin out for now...until next time...Remember the Alamo.

Nothin but love,
Bethany

You're right, Zami

Amy told me that I was letting my bloggy people down again by not keeping you up-to-date on my weekend. She's right. Let's fix that.

So as I told you before, I spent this last weekend at Sky Ranch in Van, Tx working as a leader for Kingwood United Methodist Church Youth Group's fall retreat. My prayer going into it was that God would give me a heart to be intentional and not waste time. No time was wasted as he miraculously left two empty seats for me and Marshall in the back of the bus behind the senior girls who I would be spending most of my weekend with. They were a BLAST!

It turned out to be much colder than I had planned for, but who cares if you wear jeans two days in a row? I got very little sleep, due to snoring and Taylor Swift fanatics, but the second night I switched to the small room to escape the snore-ers, and Natalie (a sweet red-headed sophomore girl) gave me one of the FOUR pairs of ear plugs she brought with her. Smart girl, that Natalie.

We hung out a lot, and had hours on Saturday dedicated to a thing Sky Ranch likes to call "funtivities"...y'all don't get too excited, it's just a fancy word for free time. But they did have some pretty sweet things to do. Like a blob in the ground instead of the water (kind of like a trampoline....also like a huge tarp-pillow filled with air), "gaga ball"- a game played inside an 8-sided play pin-looking thing. As many people can play that can fit in the pin, and by only using your hands and one ball, if the ball touches you below the waste, you're out! Me and Marshall, after watching at least 15 games, decided to pick fantasy teams. I think Marshall's team won because at the end I'm pretty sure I got pretty heated and threatened two junior guys that if they messed this one up they would be hitting the weight room at 5am the next morning. Needless to say, they didn't work out at 5 am the next morning....Sky Ranch may have lots of amenities, but they are lacking a weight room. Also I'm pretty sure that forcing kids to work out period, much less to benefit your fantasy gaga ball team, is against the rules of being a counselor.

Mark, the youth director broke the gospel down into 4 talks based on Titus 3:4-7 "But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom eh poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life." Good stuff, huh?

 When I got to have small group with the junior and senior girls, we really focused on how we are never good enough, so there is always a call for change. But just because we're not good enough doesn't matter. In fact, that's just the point! Jesus is grace and grace is life. Grace replaces what law takes away by giving value to us, sinners who DESERVE death. But we are loved by a Savior who does not give us what we deserve.  A lot of girls were struggling with the feeling like they need to be punished for the things they do wrong, and we came up with this analogy: "All it takes to get your name written down in God's book is a prayer that admits Jesus as Lord, and gives back to God what is his by giving your life to him. Grace is this: God's pencil doesn't have an eraser, so there's nothing you can do to get your name erased off that list." You are forever His! What a sweet promise to find rest in.

Here's some pictures from the weekend :)

the fearless leaders

before this did a little tipping

hangin with the sEnIoRzzzzz. SENIORS 2011 YEAHHHHHH!

I say, go seniors '09

Second order or business, I will of course blog about this after it happens, but last Thursday, I got asked to AMC formal the best way I have been asked since Homecoming sophomore year of high school. Johnny Adams, better known as "Jadams" asked me with 6 jumbo cake balls first of all....but after I was done being REALLY excited about the cake balls (because I LOVE cake balls) he informed me that there was more. I looked up in the sky to see nothing other than FIRE WORKS!! Can you believe it?! A fire works show of my very own! I was undoubtedly impressed to say the very least. It's in San Antonio and I'm wearing the prom dress, yeahhhhhh! I'll have lots of pictures! Jadams will probably be smiling in the first 100, and then in the rest he'll probably be staring at the camera, emotionless, holding a knife to my neck, on account of he will be THAT tired of posing for pictures with me.......but that's ok, I'll still be cheesin' even if there's a little blood.  :D

This does the show no justice...the person who took it was behind a tree haha......it seriously was legit

There's SIX cake balls in there! Each a different flavor! 

Ilovecakeballs.

*Sigh*......I always think that not much has gone on, and I will probably not be able to post a sizeable blog........I am always wrong. They are always quite sizeable. (No, "sizeable" is not a word. I do what I want.) Anywayzzzzz, sleep tight, dear readers. I hope this post makes little Zami's spirits lift even just a little...(she has had quite the week of tests.....and y'all....it's only Tuesday) It's ok though, because she is my smartest friend. She was number 3 in our high school graduating class. I say that all the time and Amy hates it. I hope that my saying that doesn't cancel out any of the spirit-lifting I did before the comment. Zami, you know I love you. I love you a MILLION JUMBO cake balls! You too, dear readers :)

Nothin but love,
Bethany

Oh where, where, where to start...?

My Aunt Suzanne {Dad's sister} just gave me the compliment of the century by telling me that she used my last "pillow case" blog to help teach writing to her 4th graders! She explained that she used my entry because she was trying to teach students who feel they don't have anything to write about, that you can write about anything- even pillow cases! {though, I think I've made it clear that my pillow case isn't just anything.} She said (jokingly, I'm sure) that I could perhaps make a guest appearance for the class...I think that would make my life! (joking, of course) <-- ((who am I kidding?....That is absolutely not a joke.))

Anywho! For a Monday, life is swell! Started the day off right by waking up a whopping 15 minutes before my ballet class started. Good thing I'm a quick mover in the morning, because I made a mad dash to get ready, and was out the door in less than 7 minutes! Lucky for me, we had a sub in dance today, so I could get by with wearing a ponytail instead of a bun to class. Here's the kicker- doesn't it seem like every time you come in somewhere running late, all out of breath and sweaty from running, and just pure nerves....you end up with 5 minutes to spare anyways?! Why yes, this DOES apply to my morning. I rushed in to see all my fellow ballerinas sitting outside the studio, still in their clothes, gabbing about their weekends, waiting on our substitute teacher. I totally would have had time to put my hair in a bun...or eat breakfast...or grab my computer...or brush my teeth....hehe just kidding- I made time to brush my teeth :)

The sub for ballet was crazy. I mean that chick was insane. She was one of those little tiny compact people who claims to be a person just like you and I. But you know better! It's really just human's equivalent to an energy drink, sent to earth to make you feel bad about your lack of energy in the morning. One of those... "I'm 40 and I can dance circles around you at 9:30 in the morning, don't you feel bad about yourself?!" Well, nutty ballet professor, I DON'T feel bad about myself for being a normal person who drags a little in the morning, because I'm on to you........you......piece of energy pretending to be a dance teacher. She also mumbled a lot and talked to herself...and made this clicky noise with her tongue as she explained things....................she was in great shape though.

I don't think I ever put pictures up from when we got to dress up for Halloween in Ballet! It was SO much fun!! {Shout out to Marshall who lent me the costume}

I'm there on the right dressed as Buzz Lightyear

Buzz got kinda hot as the class went on...

So a lot of times, I go ahead and make photo documentation for random things I don't want to forget to blog about. And this is one of those times...AMC (Aggie Men's Club) had their annual barn dance last week (or the week before?) and I went with my friend, and dance partner (for songfest...i'll explain that later) Bill! He's fun to dance with because I feel like, to a certain degree, we have a similar sense of humor, so we laugh a lot, which makes an intense practice a little more light-hearted. This is how he asked me...

"A cheesy Fall card to enjoy, and an invitation to Barn Dance!!" [Check yes or no] 

Needless to say, I checked a big heck yes

A few days before barn dance we had Theta date party with Pi Phi..the theme was...Halloween. It was an ordeal to get in the stinkin party because Theta's (respectable) rules state that any party we host must be monitored by police officers. Our 8 hired popos didn't show so we had to sit on the bus with our dates and WATCH the pi phis party for over an hour.....it was frustrating, but we finally got in! Me and my date went as Miley Cyrus and Justin Beiber :)

Happy Halloween 

My friend, Sarah Stimson, who has seen her fair share of blog highlights and shout-outs/ats, has done it again. She recently took me on a photographic extravaganza into the depths of College Station, revealing the secret nicks and crannys I had NEVER seen before! Here are a few of the 80 million....

My dear, dear friend, Courtney came in town this weekend for the OU vs. A&M game! It was the first game of the season I attended...oops. Courtney graduated this last year, and we met this summer working at K2 together. You REAL loyal bloggy people may remember her, as she and our time-off adventures  were blogged about during 2-4's from kamp. Courtney is a stud. She'll be in "Bring it on" the musical in a couple months! It starts in Atlanta, and I really REALLY want to be able to see her perform! Her birthday is tomorrow, by the way. It was a great weekend: got to catch up over dinner on Friday, started Saturday out right with breakfast tacos at the Clapp's (Marshall's parent's) tailgate {nom nom nom nom...they were yummy!} then we had about a 2 hour nap before getting ready for the big game where A&M won!!! (it was funny becuase Court got the tickets so I was with a buncha OU fans.......whoop!)

Morning tailgate! (oops...probably should have taken my sunglasses off...)

Well, I think that'll do for now...something upcoming, that I'm hoping to have lots to blog about is a high school retreat I get to go on and be a leader for some Kingwood High School girls! I don't know them and they don't know me, but I'm excited to learn about the unknown :) This week, I'm praying for confidence on my part to dive right in and be intentional right away with girls, as well as moldable and approachable hearts for these girls. A weekend is not a long time, but I'm not a savior. I'm more than confident that my savior can use me, His weary tool to do an awesome work in a weekend's brief time! I'd love for you to join me in praying for the same thing! I just finished Romans last night, and I'm clinging to every word inside that book, letting it be my battle cry for the weekend, and ever-after. Happy Monday, dear readers :) Find a friend who sees things differently than you from behind a lens, and pray for YOUR upcoming weekend! Yes, it's already set in stone according to God's perfect plan, but even Jesus appreciates the encouragement!

Nothin but love,
Bethany